On board, the steersman huddled with his crew, whose angry gesticulations caught Begiloc"s eye. Did he detect a resemblance between two of the crewmen and the helmsman? Likely they were brothers. With aggressive gestures, they browbeat those reluctant to sail. The discussion ended and the crew set about their duties, weighing anchor to row the vessel along the reed-lined channel.
The wind thrashed rushes in all directions and the occasional pig-like squeal of a water rail issued from a reed bed, but few other sounds rivalled the roar of the gale until a flash in the distance triggered the first crash of thunder. In the prow, Begiloc studied the clouds and the sea; as yet the water of the sheltered channel was not rough, but the distant lightning filled him with foreboding.
The red-haired
